Game apparatus.



i' UNrTED srnrns PATENT ormon- MELVIN H. KANE ANDJAMES N. CRABB, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA; SAID KANE i ASSIGNOR T0 SAID CRABB.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1910.

Application led January 22, 1910. Serial No. 539,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MELVIN H. KANE and JAMES N. CRABB, citizens of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and 4useful lmprovements in (lame Apparatus; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to games of amusement and skill, more particularly for home entertainment, the invention having reference to apparatus whereby a new game known as paddle ball may be played, the object of the invention being to provide a new and useful game apparatus that may be manufactured and sold at relatively small cost and which will be attractive, entertaining, and instructive, for the young as well as ol and which will be suitable for use either by one person or in competitive games by a number of persons.

The invention lconsists in new and useful game apparatus comprising a paddle having a pluralityof apertures therein, a string connected to the addle, and a ball connected to the string to e caught in any one of the apertures which serve as pockets, theapertures being slightly less in diameter than that of the ball, the end of the paddle having an opening therein through which the ball may pass.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the improved game apparat-us and shown as being held in the hand of the person in operative position; Fig. 2, a top plan of the paddle; and Fig. 2l, a traglnentary plan ot' the paddle on an enlarged scale.

Similar reference letters in the several figures of the drawings indicate like parts or features of construction herein referred to.

ln practically carrying out the object of the invention a` paddh` o is l'uovided ot' suitable dimensions which has` a handle /1 on one end thercot'. the opposite end ot the paddle. having two lingers c and c that are curved each toward the other, so that an opening d is formed, there being a relatively narrow gap between the ends of the lingers, which are rounded, and a suitable string or cord e is suitably attached to the end of one ot the fingers and has a ball f attached to its free end. The paddle may be made of any suitable material, such as wood or fiberboard; the string or cord may be either elastic or non-elastic, as may be preferred, and the ball may be composed either of wood or composition, or formed as a hollow rubber ball. The paddle has a suitable number of apertures g, ft, z', y', 7c, arranged between the opening Z and the handle, it being desirable that relatively small imperforate portions of the paddle remain, and the upper side of the paddle has characters or numerals Z, m, tu, o, p, thereon adjacent to the apertures or pockets, the numerals being of suitable denominations, one for each aperture or pocket, so that when the ball is caught in either one of the apertures or pockets a number may be counted in the game.

In practical use the handle is to be held in the hand of the player, so that the paddle may be moved about in trontof the player to manipulate the ball-which at first will be suspended, as in Fig. l, when by jerking the hand slightly the ball may be thrown upward and caught on the paddle and will either roll oli or lodge in one of the apertures, and the character or numeral at such aperture will indicate the relative value or amount to be counted by the player, the game consisting of earning a certain number of points, and additional points may be counted if the ball first pass upward through the opening CZ'.

Various rules for playing the gaine, of course, may be adopted, and a rule may provide that if the ball rst rise and then descend through the aperture Z a certain number of points may be deducted from the players score. lVhen the ball passes through the oliiening (Z it will be understood that the string or cord will pass through the gap between the ends of the fingers without becoming entangled. Aside from playing games for points various tests of skill may be made, such as catching the. ball repeatedly in any particular one of the apertures or in the different apertures successively in numerical order, or passin .the ball as many times as possible throug the opening d.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:-

1. Game apparatus including a paddle having a plurality of apertures therein and also two lingers thereon that are .curved each toward the other and spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of either one of the apertures, a strin connected to one of the fingers, and a ball t at is smaller than the diameter of the space between the lingers connected to the string.

2. Game ap aratus including a paddle having aplura ity of apertures therein and also" two fingers on one end thereof curved each toward the other, numerals on the paddle adjacent to' the apertures, a string connected to the end of one of the lingers, and a ball connected to the string, the ball being slightly larger than either one of the apertures and the lingers having a space between them for the passage of the ball.

Inf witness whereof, we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

MELVIN H. KANE. JAMES N. CRABB. Witnesses:

HARRY D. PrERsoN, E. T-. SILVIUS. 

